Been following this for a couple hours after opening (purchased two weeks ago from K&L). Dominated by oak. Initial attack has some flavor and structure, but it’s not very complex. What IS there starts disappearing soon after, ending with an invisible finish. Maybe it needs age, but from what I read this already has 10+ years of vintages in it. (And the same is said about Dom needing aging, and I love young Dom.) This is just a stupefyingly bad value, I could have bought almost four bottles of the infinitely superior Billiot NV instead.
(Edit: Keep reading, the wine greatly improved in the fridge for two more days. For my palate this may in fact be an excellent Champagne with more years in the cellar…)
In fact, I recall a 30-dollar bottle of Cava - from a restaurant list - I just had in Santa Fe that blew this away. Sigh. Even for those who are fans - you realize that $150 buys you almost anything other than Salon, Cristal, and some other boutique Tete de Cuvees? You really think it’s worth it?
Not a fan and the price is a double deterrent. Recent-ish bottles have been overtly rich and ranging from extra oaky to slightly cheesy. My palate has definitely gone the way of the super low/non-dosage avenue and this no longer hold appeal especially when 2 or 3 bottles of other labels can be had foe the price of this one.
When I tried my first Krug at first I didn’t think it was very good but after it got 5+ hours of air I enjoyed the heck out of it. My subsequent experiences have been the same. For my palate it needs a long time to open up after popping the cork.
My experience with this wine over the past couple years is that there is tremendous variation between the batches. Some are easily identifiable, as the Krug style is evident, some are not. Funny someone mentioned a cheesy-ness, because I dumped a bottle down the sink couple months ago that reeked of cheese. Is it a good champagne? I think so. Is it worth $100? Doubt it. But, if you can find splits around the $35 mark, I think its a good move.
+1. There’s definitely some bottle variation. I love the house style of Krug. When it’s showing well, for me, well worth the tariff. The value proposition is a personal choice.
If I could find splits for $35, I would clean out the store.
Im surprised to read these remarks. Ive had some bottle variations ranging from very good to great with over 25 bottles in the past 2-3 years and I never paid more than $120 and on an average about $100 [mostly purchased in auctions] . I love all things Krug.
I’ve tried this wine on several occasions and always find it disappointing. There’s no elegance or subtlety, it’s all power and richness. It’s the equivalent to Molly Dooker in Champagne.
I thought a “split” of Champagne was 187.5 ml ( a quarter bottle), but you guys are obviously talking about half bottles.
Does “split” also refer to a half bottle?
Well I stored the remainder in my fridge overnight, perhaps it will make a miraculous transformation, but I’m not holding out hope.
Wow, that’s totally the opposite of my experience with this bottle, which had neither. I was actually hoping for the “power and richness” experience here since I’d heard this was the house style of Krug. If so, they failed miserably with this particular batch.
I’ve had several bottles of Grand Cuvee over the last year, and all of them were delicious.
It is a singular style of wine (and I always find the wood influence, but never find it oaky), so perhaps it’s just not to your taste.
And as for the price, I haven’t paid more than $125 for it, even last fall.
I will also say that being able to get mags of Billiot NV for less than a bottle of Krug NV has made my buying decisions easier these days. Mags of Billiot & more mags of Billiot please.
![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}